V is for Venetian Drive

This post continues a series using the Alphabet to go through streets that were significant in my life as part of the Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge. Venetian Drive is the street I now live on. When my husband retired in 2007, we decided to move to Atlanta where most of our children and grandchildren lived. We had looked at several houses when the realtor took us to see this one. The solarium told us this was the right house for us. There was also the wild yard that reminded us of the real woods we were leaving behind in Idlewild. Below is an article about the way the house is built. There was a studio with a kitchen and bathroom added later. The plan was to use it for an actual studio for silkscreen, sewing and other projects, but so far it has housed various family members as they settle in Atlanta. The best thing about the house is that we are close to the family. I must admit, I do wish it was on a lake and had a sunny garden spot.

It’s amazing to me how many letters you’ve had streets for! Your family always seems to have so much fun together -no wonder you moved to Atlanta. I hope we don’t regret our planned move away from family when we retire…there is logic to it as they could equally move any day but I hope it doesn’t backfire and they remain in Darwin forever.

BTW I have just read a book called The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville which touches on Aboriginal issues and very indirectly on slavery. I think you’d find it an interesting addition to your Australian reading. Very sympathetic to the indigenous world.

The only thing I would do differently if we were able to rewind back to the time we were looking would be to rent for awhile before we bought. That was mainly because of the unforeseen housing market crash just after we bought the house.

We heat mostly with wood that is free from the trees that continue to regularly fall around here. The solarium really makes a difference. Once the leaves are off the trees, if the sun is out, it warms the whole house with no supplemental heat at all. That description was from an article about the architecture. The real estate agents description was a lot less poetic.

I’ve been so busy with work, I have been distracted for a while. I continue to be amazed that you have lived on so many streets and always enjoy your posts. I look forward to having time to go back and read the ones that I have missed